2012 commitment Nick Patti shrugs off Boise State probation

Nick Patti, QB, Dr. Phillips

By Chris Hays | Orlando Sentinel

Dr. Phillips quarterback Nick Patti, a 2012 commitment to Boise State University, was not surprised by the news announced Tuesday by the NCAA, a result of an ongoing investigation into Boise recruiting violations in five different sports.

The Boise State football program will be docked three scholarships during the next three years -- down to 82 from the allotted 85 -- and the athletic department must serve three years' probation as a result of what the NCAA deemed "lack of institutional control."

Boise had already self-imposed the probationary period, but the NCAA did not think it was punishment enough.

There were no bans on football postseason play or TV appearances.

"It’s not a real big surprise since they had already filled me in on all the details," Patti said of head coach Chris Peterson and his staff. "It’s kind of scary at first because you hear all of the bad things involved in different recruiting violations out there ... you hear all the bad things. It doesn’t effect football much, though. I talked to Coach Pete last night and he told me they rarely are at 85 scholarships each year anyway."

And as long as the prime opportunities are available, recruits aren't going to be too concerned. The goal is to play in the big time, on TV and eventually a bowl game.

"That’s the biggest thing ... no postseason ban and no TV ban, nothing like that," Patti said. "Just in talking to them in the early stages they didn’t expect that it was going to be that big a deal. Plus, the majority of it wasn’t football. It involved other sports."

Patti has Dr. Phillips off and running this season to a 2-0 start. The senior quarterback also has quite a string running right now, along with fellow seniors OL Sam Ranieri and LB Phillip Amone.

Counting a full, unbeaten JV season during their freshman year, the trio has not lost a regular-season game. Patti, Ranieri and Amone have not lost a regular-season varsity game since earning varsity spots in 2009. This past Friday night's win over Olympia was the 22nd in-season win in a row for the trio.

Chris Hays is the Sentinel's recruiting coverage coordinator and can be reached at chays@tribune.com.